Feeding device



Jan. 6, 1931.

B. H. BERKENVELDER FEEDING DEVICE FiIed June 17, 1929 I Inventor: Barend H Ber-h envelclev Hts Attorneg 20 ment of the transfer device.

Patented Jan. 6, 1,931

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BABEHD a. imnxmvvnnimn, or mum-rowan, NETHERLANDS, assrenoa no criminal.

ELEGTBIG COMPANY, A CORPORATION OENEW YORK J IIEIEDIIING- DEVICE Application filed'ilune 17,1829, Serial No. 871,704, and in the Netherlands November 7, 1928.

My invention relates to feeding devices for use in connection with various machines. Although it is capable of application to the feed of many different kinds of articles, it is particularly adapted to the feeding of long narrow articles such as lengths of wire, glass or metal tubing or rods. The specific application thereof illustrated in the drawing is to the feed of leading-in wires which are used in electrical devices such as incandescent lamps and vacuum tubes comprising sealed vitreous containers.

According to my invention, the feeding device comprises a holder for the articles to be fed and a-transfer mechanism comprising a movable member sha ed to receive onl one article at a time. cans are provide for example,-vacuum or ma netic, for holding the article thus received uring the move- The arrangement is such that the article is automatically caused to enter the transfer device when the latter arrives at loading position. Various other features and advantages of my invention will appear from the following description of a species thereof and. from the accompanying drawing. v

In the'drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional elevation .of the holder; and'Fig. 3 is an enlarged front elevation of the holder and transfer arm in the loading position.

In the drawing, the holder 10 is mounted on an arm-carried by shaft 11 and carries a bundle of Wires 11'. The transfer arm 12 has in its end a roove 13 of such dimensions that only one wire at a time can rest therein.

The arm 12 has an opening 14 in the end thereof communicating with the said groove 13 andwith a passage 15 insaid arm. The

arm is rotatably mounted on the shaft 16 and has a recess 16' communicating with a vacuum supply 17 and carries a gear segment 18 actuated by the rack 19. The recess 20 is shaped so that it is in communication with the assage 15 during the'rotation of the arm 12 rom position A to position B but is dis connected therefrom from position B to posi- Normally holder 10 is in the vertical position as shown in Fig. 2. Rotation through 90 brings it to the position shown in Fig. 1.

As shown in Fig. 3, the bottom of the holder has a V shape, the upper portion 21 being cylindrical. The groove 13 in the end of transfer. arm 12 moves in a plane which passes through .the vertex of the V and the axis of the cylindrical portion. One of the wires will enter said groove when the arm 12 is in the vertical position and will be held by the vacuum so that as the arm moves from position A to position C, said wire will be separated from the bundle and will be held in the groove even after the vacuum is cut oflz' at position B by the pressure of the atmosphere. To insure that the wire will be dropped atposition C, a cam 22 is provided against which thewire strikes and is lifted from the transfer arm. The holder is rotated alternately to a vertical position to restore the positions of the wires and then to a horizontal position so that a wire may be removed by the transfer arm. Y

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a feedin device, the combination with a 'horizontal disposed holderhaving a bottom V shaped in cross section and adapted to support a plurality of long narrow articles with one thereof lowermost and projecting beyond said holder bottom, of a transfer arm having a groove aligned with said holder bottom so as to receive the projecting portion of one of said articles, means connected to said groove to hold said article therein and means for moving said arm alternately.

to. and from said-holder.

2. In a feedin device, the combination of a holder for a p urality of long narrow articles adapted to support them in a horizontal position, a movable transfer arm having'a.

2 v V V 1,788,228

3. In a. feeding device for wires, tubing or rods, the combination of an open-ended receptacle adapted to receive a plurality of such articles and mounted so as to assume a substantially horizontal position with said arti- 5 cles extending substantially horizontally out of the open end thereof, a transfer device comprising a movable arm having in the end thereof a groove of proper dimensions to receive one of said articles, means for causing said article to be held in said groove as said arm end is moved from said receptacle, and means whereby said article is released when said arm has reached the discharge position. In witness whereof, I have hereto set my hand this first day of June, 1929.

BAREND H. BERKENVELDER. 

